Wind turbines dotting countrysides like salt rocks on an Indiana corn cob. Solar panels lining roofs like snickerdoodles on baking sheets. Biofuel processing plants that would make Willie Wonka shriek with delight. Amidst the green revolution, these are all sights that have either served as food for thought or have come to fruition in the state. But as these beacons of sustainability materialize, key questions remain: Who will build them? And how will those people be trained?

Adaptation
Southwest Indiana, which contains the state’s third largest city (Evansville), finds itself in a predicament not unlike many other regions of the country. An abundance of resources and labor, but many workers with outdated skill sets more reminiscent of the industries that were thriving in prior decades than today.

The Grow Southwest Indiana Regional Workforce Board enlisted the assistance of Texas-based consultant Greyhill Advisors to examine the nine-country region as part of its new initiative, Project GREEN. Funded by part of a $5 million Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant, Greyhill’s study showed a great deal of potential for the region when it came to adapting to a new generation of manufacturing.

“We wanted to understand each of the nine counties,” explains Ben Loftsgaarden, principal at Greyhill Advisors. “They realize they have a strong base in traditional energy and manufacturing.”

Loftsgaarden explains energy in the region is already quite diverse, including coal, oil, gas, biomass and even nuclear – the Babcock & Wilcox Company in Mount Vernon is one of the country’s leading nuclear power generators.

Christine Prior, planning manager for Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce, explains the key to the area is training laborers – as well as businesses – to adapt.

“There are companies that have made a certain type of product for years, but may want to consider transitioning with training instead of closing their doors,” she offers. Prior relays the story of one Jasper company that made furniture for years, but has branched out into electronics. She contends that such a company could be well-suited to work on electric cars in the future. She adds that while moving into the green sector and improving efficiency are critical, the region will need to find an optimal way to keep producing coal; the state’s primary energy source will not be going away any time soon.

“Indiana is 96% coal,” Prior contends. “If we turned off our coal generators, our state would cease to exist. Coal is dirty, but poverty is a lot dirtier.”

“We find a lot of other regions have rushed into green technology, but don’t know what it is or what skills are required,” Loftsgaarden asserts. “But you need to understand energy and the different sectors; wind is much different than solar.”

He adds that when considering what training is required, it’s best to reach out to manufacturers and human resources managers and ask what specific positions need to be filled, and which are most difficult to fill.

“That helps when crafting curriculum,” he explains. “Breaking it down into those bite-sized pieces makes it much easier.”